The Office for National Statistics has just released its yearly update for private rental properties, showing an average annual increase in rent of 8.6% in England. This comes after Government data estimates over 21% of privately rented properties in England fail to meet the ‘Decent Homes Standard’. This makes for an unsafe and unfair environment […]
Data Protection and Digital Information Bill
March 26, 2024
JUSTICE has briefed Parliament on several discrete issues within the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill. Firstly, JUSTICE has briefed on automated decision-making. Clause 14 of the Bill repeals the right not to be subject to solely automated decision making and profiling, replacing it with more permissive provisions. JUSTICE does not consider the new provisions […]
Time Better Spent: Improving Decision-making in Prisons
March 21, 2024
Ease prison crisis with Norwegian-style queueing system, finds JUSTICE report A Norwegian-style queueing system and other key reforms could ease the UK’s prison overcrowding crisis and reduce reoffending, a new report by JUSTICE finds. The report warns that such reforms are urgently needed to avoid a repeat of the widespread prison riots of the 1990s. […]
Ongoing problems with EU settlement scheme affecting millions
March 13, 2024
Ongoing problems with the scheme designed to secure eligible European Economic Area (‘EEA’) nationals their rights to live and work in the UK after Brexit are putting millions of people at risk of wrongly losing their jobs, homes, and access to healthcare and benefits, a new report finds. Continuing problems with the scheme’s online ‘proof […]
Building the infrastructure for a fair, accessible justice system
March 8, 2024
New JUSTICE-led project, funded by the Access to Justice Foundation, to explore options for harnessing data and evidence to improve justice policy and practice. JUSTICE have commissioned Dr Natalie Byrom to identify options for a new initiative to enable policymakers and practitioners to harness data and evidence to build a fairer justice system within everyone’s […]
Review of Civil Legal Aid
March 5, 2024
In January 2023, the Ministry of Justice launched a Review of Civil Legal Aid, setting out its proposals to improve the system’s ability to deliver long-term access to justice. JUSTICE has responded to the Ministry of Justice’s call for evidence. In doing so, we have drawn upon our previous work, including our reports on Solving […]
New guide to help evidence the role of racism in state-custody deaths
February 21, 2024
A new guide released today (21/2/24) provides lawyers representing families bereaved by deaths in police custody, prisons, immigration detention, and mental health settings with the legal expertise to raise the potential role of race and racism at inquests. It also provides foundational knowledge and strategy to coroners to ensure they satisfy their duty in fully […]
Inquiry into the Coroner Service
February 19, 2024
In November 2023, the Justice Committee launched a follow up inquiry into the Coroner Service. The inquiry seeks to examine changes made since the publication of its previous report on the Coroner Service in 2021. JUSTICE has responded to the Committee’s call for evidence, drawing on our Working Party When Things Go Wrong: the response […]
Sentencing Bill
February 5, 2024
The Sentencing Bill, introduced in November 2023, proposes reforms to sentencing for certain offences. Its primary aim is said to be the protection of victims of violent offences. JUSTICE welcomes certain aspects of the legislation: However, JUSTICE’s briefing raises the following concerns: House of Commons Second Reading (December 2023)Read our briefing here.
Government seeks to routinely redact names in judicial review cases
January 24, 2024
JUSTICE is today [Weds 24/1/24] intervening in an appeal to argue that the Government should not be able to routinely redact all names outside of the senior civil service from documents disclosed in judicial review proceedings. This policy risks hiding the names of external contractors and political Special Advisors as well as that of junior […]